– LAWLER VS VILLASENOR ON NOV. 8 FOR ELITEXC TITLE

by Damon Martin – MMAWeekly.com
Just days after EliteXC announced its year-end show set for Nov. 8, they named the main event, pitting champion “Ruthless” Robbie Lawler in a rematch against top contender Joey Villasenor.

The promotion made the announcement during Friday night’s broadcast of ShoXC on Showtime.

Robbie Lawler has been on nothing less than a tear for the last two years, disposing of top fighters such as Frank Trigg, Murilo “Ninja” Rua, and Scott Smith, while winning and defending the EliteXC middleweight title along the way.

After an accidental eye poke stopped their first fight, Lawler made no mistakes in doing away with Scott Smith in his last title defense, finishing off the California native in the second round of their rematch.

Now, Lawler has another rematch looming as a motivated Villasenor stands in his way, currently riding a three-fight win streak and a chip on his shoulder for this fight.

Not only will Villasenor get a second chance at the EliteXC title (he lost to Murilo “Ninja” Rua in June 2007 with the belt was first introduced), but he also has an opportunity to erase one of the most painful losses of his career.

While in Pride in 2006, Lawler defeated Villasenor with a lightning fast flying knee strike that sent his opponent crashing to the mat in defeat at only 22 seconds of the first round.

Villasenor will look for redemption against Lawler on Nov. 8 with the EliteXC middleweight title on the line.

EliteXC Vice President Jared Shaw told MMAWeekly.com last week that Brett Rogers, Rafael “Feijao” Calvancante, and Nick Diaz would also be on the card, but no opponents have been named yet.